February 18, 2009

Look who is wandering into the wonderful state of Haryana today! Yes! It's that time for my favorite RCI event again and this month we are going to tour and taste Haryana, which geographically surrounds Delhi (India's Capital) on three sides, forming the northern, western and southern borders. I am not from Haryana and what I gather from reading about this state from various online websites is that it's cuisine and culture are similar to Punjab. So I am trying to do my best here to bring you few dishes from that region, so bear with me if you think they are not very authentic Haryanvi! :)

Here is what WIKIPEDIA says about Haryana:"The name Haryana means "The Abode of God" from Sanskrit. Hari (the Hindu God Vishnu) and ayana (home), although it may also refer to the lush green landscape of the state (from Sanskrit harit meaning green).Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana and the state of Punjab as well. Haryana was the cradle of Indus Valley and Vedic Civilizations, both flourishing on the banks of the now lost Saraswati river. Haryana contributed heavily to the Green Revolution that made India self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s. The state of Haryana has the 3rd highest Per Capita income in the country. It is one of the leading industrialized states of India and is considered to be the current major hub for the information technology and automobile industries."

About Haryanvi cuisine:"Haryanvi cuisine is like the people of Haryana, simple, robust. The 'Land of Rotis' is an apt title for Haryana as people are fond of eating different kinds of rotis. Haryana is well known for it's agriculture and cattle wealth, so there is a abundance of milk, butter, ghee, Lassi, Thandai, Buttermilk and vegetables, which are similar to Punjab." These infos are from a Haryana tourism website. Here is my RCI Punjab post.

Regional Cuisine of India aka RCI event is started by LakshmiK and this month EC of "Simple Indian Food" is guest hosting and she has chosen Haryana (vegetarian dishes) as the state for February. Thanks for hosting EC. With all those wonderful information about Haryana, let's celebrate and cook something Haryanvi, shall we? :)

Haryanvi Thali:(I had to get my "big gun" thali for this Haryanvi cuisine menu, smaller thali won't do! :D)Besan (chickpea flour) Kadhi with Pakodi, Jeera (Cumin flavored) rice, Mooli (Radish) Paratha, Potato Raita, Carrot-ginger-garlic pickle, Besan Pinni and Chhas (a lightly spiced Buttermilk). Some salt sits in the middle of the thali and lemon slices and a green chilly just in case if you feel the urge to take a bite! :D

Jeera Chawal:This is an easy ghee and cumin flavored rice to make for Kadhi, of course you can also serve Kadhi with plain rice.1. Cook 2 cups of Basmati or long grain rice with 3 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp oil or ghee and pinch of salt or as you cook rice usually. Cool the rice a bit.2. Heat 1-2 tbsp ghee, add 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp cumin seeds. When they are slightly golden, add to the cooked rice and mix well.

Gajar Achar:Freshly made Carrot pickle lasts in the fridge about a week. You can also add pickle masala like SWAD brand if you have it or you can add freshly ground spices. I added some garlic and ginger slices to this too, tastes great with Mooli parathas.Here it is:1. Dry fry 2 tbsp reddish Mustard seeds, 1 tbsp (or 1/2 tbsp, if you don't like it too bitter) Fenugreek seeds and 2-4 (or more for spicy) dry red chillies and pound these coarsely. Keep aside.2. Take 1 large Carrot, wash, dry, cut into 2" sticks, 1 tsp paprika for color, slice 3 garlic and 2" ginger, mix with 2-4 tbsp Lemon juice and enough salt.3. Add ground pickle masala to Carrot etc and mix well. Tempering the pickle is optional, I didn't do it. Adjust the spices and salt, keep it in the fridge. You can use it immediately.

Mooli de Paranthe:Mooli stuffing:1. Thickly grate Daikon or white Radish until you get about 2 cups or so, sprinkle some salt and let it rest for a while to draw out the water. Squeeze out the water to get dry Radish.2. Mix with a bit of chilli pd or minced green chilles, tsp of grated ginger, few pinches of turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin pd, enough salt, little Amchoor (Mango pd), 1 tsp besan or cornstarch to make it all come together.Divide into equal sized portions.Paratha: Mix 2 cups wheat flour (Atta), salt, 2 tbsp oil or veg shortening, 1/2 tsp of baking powder(optional but makes it very flaky) and enough water to make a firm dough, make into equal sized balls and let it rest for an hour or so.To make Mooli stuffed Parathas;Roll out dough to 4" circle, place a Mooli stuffing, cover and carefully roll out to 5-6" circles and roast on Tava with a bit of oil until both sides are golden. Check this "Aloo parathas" post to see step by step photos of stuffing.

Besan Pinni:A typical Haryanvi dessert, we loved these. Tastes like Besan Laddoos we always make at home but better with Pistachios and easy to make too. They say that Pinni is the way they make these sweets squeezed in the fist of your palm. I made few of both shapes.Here is how:1. Sift 1/2 cup Besan well to avoid lumps.2. Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbsp ghee and add besan to it on low heat and keep stirring until it's roasted or until you smell the aroma. Do not burn it.3. Add 1/2 cup powdered Sugar,1/4 tsp Saffron, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tbsp toasted chopped Pistachios, mix everything very well and cook for 2 mins or until sugar is incorporated.4. Take off the heat, add 1 or 2 tbsp of milk to it just until it's little wet but liquidy. Just enough milk so you should be able to pick up the dough and make shapes with your hand.5. Traditionally, you take a lump of Besan mix, squeeze it gently to make a fist in your plam to get the finger prints on it like Gujarati Muthias. I made some of those until my palms started to get red and then put some in a small cup and inverted them to make the other shape.6. Cover to keep. This recipe makes about 7-8 small pieces which is enough for us.

Finally, a Chhas:A simple but tasty Buttermilk drink to accompany these thali dishes, somewhat like south Indian spiced buttermilk but lot less spicy! Here is my very tasty Karnataka style Majjige! To make Chhas:1. Beat 2-3 cups of thin Buttermilk with salt, taosted and ground cumin seeds powder, coarse pepper pd well until frothy. Few chopped mint and Cilantro on top to garnish and flavor would complete the picture! Serve with Lemon slices.One more look without the Chhas there. This thali was delicious!! Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************Tried and tasted dishes from other blogs:Thanks to all of you for posting these yummy dishes! :)

Thank you Yasmeen for"You are a sweetheart" award, photo is in the side bar. I think you are the SWEETEST gal! :)

Book I am currently reading is:"Q and A" by Vikas swarup, which is available at Amazon. He is a Indian diplomat serving in South Africa, the book says. This is also his first novel which is converted in to 34 languages so far! This is THE book which inspired the movie "Slumdog Millionaire".The main character here in this book is a waiter in Mumbai who won a billion rupees in a contest and his name is Ram Mohammad Thomas!! When they arrest him, police mocks him "What kind of name is that? Your mother couldn't decide who your father is?"Intriguing enough for ya? I am still reading it, has 12 chapters which takes to every question of that contest and his life experiences in every stage and it's very enjoyable, much more interesting than the movie! :))

Have a wonderful Shivaratri celebration on the 23rd, see you all next week with what I made for Shivaratri, a smaller thali than this for sure! No fasting in my house for any reason! ;D

Next time when you take out your "big gun" thali just invite me over as that tali looks so professional. You know last time i even had a thali like this was when i was in India.I am sure Aravind and kids are overjoyed every month when there is RCI. All the dshes look so yummy delicious.Wish i was there to eat it.Ican just drool here :-)

What a wonderfuk thali Asha. I have to give the Gaja de Achar a try and those mooli paranthe. I have always wondered how the yogurt/buttermilk or sour cream (is it better than buttermilk) does not separate when on heat. So the key is to simmer on gentle heat?

Thanks to all of you girls, your words always encourage me to strive for the best! :))

Yes Dershana. Let the dough rest for an hour or so with the baking pd and also adding some veg shortening to the flour helps to crisp them too! :)

Indo, beat the sour cream very well with a whisk and then add to almost cold pan and simmer for a long time stirring often. That way it will never separate.I do all the Yogurt sambhars with sour cream this way. To cool down the pan after seasoning, I add 1/2 cup cold water to the pan and then add sour cream. Always works! :))

Asha, I truly need not mention hw beautiful that thaali n all the items/dishes look..ooh I m craving for it..but could u please let us all know the amount of time put in by the 'Superspeedy Asha'..merely for time mgt ..as in what time u started wt it n wen u cd finish (After u answer this one, of course I wd add 10 hrs if I make these! :D)

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!i am dumbstruck Asha!!!For 5 whole mins i sat here staring at that thali with my mouth open simply admiring its beauty!!..I am woindering what i should do to get that thali right in my hands!!!U prepared so many things..lot of hardwork...Hats off to u!!!:)

wow Asha!!! When you cook, you go all out!!!:):)...I have a similar recipe for kadhi that I use with some more spices that I will post soon but yours seems simplers and easier...will try that too...And I love carrot pickle...going to try that too....

Asha thats a wonderful thali. Your parathas look nice and flaky. Never added baking powder in parathas. Will try it next time. I have tried making Mooli parathas twice in the past but both times my hands started burning after squeezing the liquid. So never tried it after that.

I seriously think your family is so lucky to have such a fulfilling meal everyday. That is very nice.. how do u manage to cook thaali frequently? i make only one main dish and a side... that itself is so much work :( but yeah... i would love to have such a nice thaali... who wouldnt? right.. hariyanvi thali looks great and besan pinni sounds very interesting.... i love laddus. pistachios in laddoos must be delicious... i have tasted that once and totally loved it...

As usual you always 'stun' me with your awesome elaborate thali Ashakka. Everything looks so delicious. Arvind and kids are soo lucky to have you :) Jagarane madtheera Ashakka? ;) always remember guru shishyaru movie which was telecasted on shivaratri day in India ...illi 10 gantege gorke hoditha irthivi :D This time shivaratri is on Monday thinking of fasting for half day at least..let me see

lovely spread.., I'm drooling all over. I can imagine the efforts put by you to prepare this thali.., wish you were in Singapore. I would have bumped into your house..Planning to prepare that carrot pickle at the earliest

Wow, I love the "big gun" thali Asha!! Kadi pakoda is one of my favorite things in any variation --must try with potatoes in the batter. Everything looks delicious as always!! Hope to do my Haryani cooking this weekend :)

Asha,it all look so delicious and mouth-watering.well next time I am going to try the carrot pickle when I have some carrots.wish I can stay near your home , so each and evry day would become somewhat a feast for me!!:))...hugs and smiles

Yes Asha, I also felt so bad for Anoop. I agree with you the other two were good. But I also thought exactly that the other one got sympathy votes, especially with this economy and all. Of course he was good in the audition, but Anoop was good even the live show on Tuesday. And I also don't know why they put through Tatiana even to the top 36. Her laugh reminded me of Janice's snort (from Friends) That's really to increase the entertainment/fun factor I guess.

Madhu, my son HATED Tatiana!! Hahaha! What a nightmare, that girl!! Yeah, I think it's all about the entertainment, not about the real talent. Anoop wouldn't have won it but could have been hung around for a while,even Paula thought so! He is really good singer and a very decent guy too! Oh well, their loss!!:)

Vani, nothing much for Shivaratri but will make something sweet for kids. They have to know the roots! Shivaratri and Deepavali are the only 2 festivals I choose to celebrate here anyway! :)

Wow the haryanvi thali looks awesome.The mooli paratha,carrot pickle,the aloo raita hmm almost everything is so inviting.Even my son wanted to have a bit of the besan dessert.He's making unsuccessful attempts to pick it up from the screen hehe.

I am really happy to invite you to participate in the contest that is getting launced on Feb 20 2009 - check out this link for details - http://justurs.blogspot.com/2009/02/magnificent-click-contest-2009.html contest.

my eyes are glued to that lovely thali. what a wonderful spread!!!! looks like you r having a blast in ur new kitchen ;)TGIF:) i am planning to relax this weeken. less of cooking and more of reading. ah... girl can dream, can't she? ;)

Wow Asha!! Needless to say, fabulous! I can only order this thali in a restaurant if I want to eat everything here all at the same time. Haven't cooked anything decent lately, so this makes me really crave.

What a treat indeed! Your family is truly blessed to have a creative and wonderful cook like you. I am so glad I did not miss the treat. This is 'big gun' indeed. Besan Piini and Gajar da achar has attracted me the most.

as usual the food look amazing asha akka..plan to try the kadhi on sunday..will let u know how it turns out.have read q & a,I loved it.. think that if the movie had stuck to the original novel it would have been a even bigger hit.

Asha this Thali looks so good.everything looks so delicious.Thank you for sharing.Thanks for the link to Anoops music.I was really sad to see him go.He has a really good voice.Did you get that thali in India I have not seen this kind.

A perfect thali..thats all I would say..anything else might not sound as good. am totally at a loss of words looking at the beautiful thali and don't know which one I liked the most.each and every dish looks spectacular and even the lime-chilly looks so pretty!!Great work indeed and kudos to you!!

Zobars, Kadhi is enough for about 6 servings, estimating about 3/4 cup of gravy per person. You can add half of the recipe to make less.I made a bit more than we need for 4 people in my family because Kadhi tastes better the next day, love the left overs! ;D

Navita. fasting, are you? Have a feast today. Happy Shiva ratri! :)

Thanks AD and Divya. We loved the thali, another veg thali is coming soon! ;D

Made the Chaas today Asha,,I didnt have buttermilk or yogurt but had cottage cheese..I used it to make it and It tasted just like butter milk:).. Planning to try the Besan Pinni next,,will let you know how it turned out for me:)..

Paru, that is so unique and new to me to use Cottage cheese for buttermilk. I am so excited to learn that, I will try next time. Never thought of that, you are such a clever girl! Thanks for the feedback and enjoy the Pinnis too. They are so yummy! :))

The Haryanvi Thali looks good. It does look wonderful for kids of all ages.your thali's recipe presentation is an eye-pleasure,I am sure it will taste as good as the picture.I know my grandson will love eating this...as long as he can use his fingers.

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